Welding spatter prevention



Aug. 10, 1948. L. GRUNDNER WELDING SPATTER PREVENTION Filed Nov. 3, 1944 INVENTOR. LOUZS GRUNDNE R vihrvzru/L QT'TOIQ NE 75 Patented Aug. 10, 1948 WELDING SPATTER PREVENTION Louis Grundner, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Lincoln Electric Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 3, 1944, Serial No. 561,754

Claims.

In welding operations, and particularly in welding by means of the electric arc, any spattering of the resulting molten metal on adjacent surfaces of the parts being welded is objectionable for the reason that the spattered particles, due to the highly heated condition of such molten metal, will adhere to such surfaces.

Since it is not practical to eliminate the spattering and since the removal of such adhered particles and refinishing of the surfaces in question is a diificult matter and involves additional expense, it has become customary to apply to the surfaces of the parts adjacent the welding operation a coating designed to prevent adherence of spattered particles of molten metal.

While a number of different compounds have been proposed for this use, including varnish, soap solutions, oil, and a water suspension of an inorganic material such as silica or bentonite, none of these have proved entirely satisfactory. Thus the varnishes heretofore used, in order to permit their being applied, require to be admixed with an oil or other inflammable ingredient which constitutes an obvious fire hazard, and, furthermore, will evaporate upon exposure to the air so that the mixture presently becomes unusable. The soap solutions which have been used, aside from being only partially effective to prevent adherence of the spattered particles, are of course alkaline in character and thereby unfavorably reactive to subsequent paint films and any coating thereof accordingly has to be removed before the surface can be painted over. The available oils, aside from being inflammable to a degree, in any event produce smoke where brought in contact with the arc, and their use results in the introduction of carbon into the weld which is objection-able, particularly where the parts being welded are of stainless steel or the like, and especially in certain types of stainless steel deposition, wherein the carbon content of the weld is restricted to a certain maximum percentage. Finally, the suspensions of inorganic materials referred to tend to settle out and do not give complete protection when applied, due probably to the discontinuity of the crystalline nature of the chemicals employed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a spatter prevention compound which will overcome the several diiiiculties noted above as inherent in compounds of this type heretofore known. In particular, the present improved compound may be easily and readily dispersed in water for the purpose of application by means of brushing, painting or spraying to the surface requiring treatment; it will also be non-inflammable; the applied film is a highly effective preventative against welding spatter adhesion; and

finally, following its application to such surface, it can be readily removed. Other desirable qualities of such compound will be pointed out in the course of the following description.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The following description and annexed drawing set forth in detail certain approved compositions of matter and methods of employing the same, such disclosed compositions and steps constituting, however, but several of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing, the single figure there appearing is a perspective view of a workpiece comprising angularly related metal parts joined together by a fillet weld and showing the difference in the effect of spattering where my present improved composition is employed, as will now be described.

The basic ingredient in such composition is a resinate of one of the alkaline metals, viz. potassium resinate or sodium resinate, preferably the former. As is well known, such resinates may be made from natural resins derived from various sources; however, the more usual source is rosin or colophonium, the residue from the distillation of turpentine. Abietic acid has been isolated from such resin and the resinate of present interest may be accordingly considered, in part at least, a salt of such acid. However, the term resinate as herein used is intended to connote the commercial product irrespective of its particular source or mode of derivation.

In order to utilize such alkaline metal resinate as a coating for metal parts for the purpose of preventing spattered particles from adhering thereto. such resinate is agitated in water, either plain or distilled, to form an aqueous suspension, dispersion and/or emulsion. While the amount of the resinate may vary through a fairly wide range, I have found in order to obtain effective results that the proportion thereof to the water should be from 5% to 25%, and a very satisfactory composition is provided by using 15 parts of potassium resinate and/or sodium resinate and parts of water of weight. If desired, in order to facilitate the dispersion of the resinate in the water, a small amount of an emulsifying agent, such as petroleum sulphonate, may be added to component is in the lower portion of the above indicated range, has been found highly effective in preventing the adherence of spattered particles to the metal surface coated with the. composition. Thus, as illustrated in the accompanying drav ing, whereas numerous spattered particles will remain firmly attached with the uncoated area 1;) of the work-piece -W following-the layingdown of thebead w by an arc welding operation, the adjacent area w coated with my improved composition will be entirely clear of such-spatter eifec't. Such composition may be applied gen erally'to the surface of the parts,-including the reas which are interfused during the welding operation, since the composition does not interfere with the latterin any way. Moreover, it is unnecessary to wait for the coating to become dry before proceeding with the welding opera tion. Finally, after the welding operation, if it is'desired to remove the remaining coating, this can be readily done by the use of water or a However, the deposited water-dampened cloth. film'is neutral in reaction, the pH of the solution being close to 7. Accordingly, the film need not be removed after the welding operation in order to permit painting of the'welded piece.

- The composition is not inflammable, so con- 'stitutes no fire hazard; moreover, nocarbon-pick up results'from its use, so that-it can'ibe'employed in connection with the weldingof stainless steel just as well as other types-of steel. It also'has a low surface tension with resulting spreading capacity and economy in useywhile due to the non inflarnmable character'of thevehicle i. e.

'Waten'it is unnecessary'to'wait for the coating todry; in fact, welding can proceed immediately aft-er application of the'coating, since the arc merely'aots to evaporate the-water more rapidly. The-cost of'manufacture, furtherrn'oreyis relatively low compared withotherbompositions heretofore available for the purpose in hand. It is a matter of indifference whether'the composition made up of the ingredientsin the man ner as hereinbefore described be considered a suspension, dispersion, solution, or emulsion. For convenience-in the claims which follow the term suspension will be used in an inclusive sense.

"Other modes of applying'the principle of my invention may :beemployedinstead of the one explain-ed, change being made as regards the process herein disclosed or the materials ernployed in carrying out the process, provided the step or steps stated by any of the following claims dor the equivalent of such stated step or steps be employed.

I therefore particularly point .out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. The method .Of preventing adherence on a workpiece of spatter from an arc-welding operation, which comprises applying to the surface to be protected a water suspension having a pH not substantially higher than 7 of a resinate con; taining principally an alkali metal salt of abietic acid, the water being readily evapor-able to leave a thin adherent film of such resinate :on uch surface.

.2 The method of preventing adherence on a workpiece of spatter from an arc-welding operation, which comprises applying to the surface to be protected a Water suspension having a pELnot substantially higher than 7 of an alkali metal resinate derived from the residue 'of turpentine distillation, the water being readily evapor-a'ble to leave a thin adherent film of such resinate on such surface.

3. The method of preventing adherence on a workpiece of spatter from an arc-Welding operation, which comprises applying to the surface to be protected a water suspension having a p11 not substantially higher than 7 :of an alkali metal resinate derived from the residue of turpentine distillation wherein such resinate constitutes from to 25% by weight, the Water being readily evaporable to leave a thin adherent film of such resinate on such surface.

4. The method of preventing adherence on a workpiece of spatter from an arc-welding operation, which comprises applying to the surface to be protected a Watersuspension having a pH not substantially higher than 7 of an alkali metal resinate derived from the residue of turpentine distillation wherein such resinate constitutes from 5% to 25% by weight, together with a relatively small percentage of an emulsifying agentthe water being readily evaporable to leave a-thin adherent film of such resinate on such surface.

5. .The method of preventing adherence-on a workpiece of spatter from an arc-welding operation, which comprises applying to the surface to be protected a water suspension having a H not substantially higher than 7 of an alkali metal r'es inate derived from the residue of turpentine distillation wherein such resinate constitutes approximately 15% by weight, the water being read- -ily evaporable to leave a thin adherent film-of such resinate on such surface.

. LOUIS GRUNDN ER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are'of record in the file-of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,303,782 Dugan May 13, 1919 1,672,377 Exley June'5, 1928 2,242,289 De Laney May-20, 1941 2,242,529 Langmeier 1 May 20,1941 2,250,940 Zahn July 29, 1941 

